To: Krowbar who wrote (27572 ) 1/3/1999 4:16:00 PM From: Grainne Read Replies (3) | Respond to
Del, if I understand X correctly, she is talking about the spirituality of self-development, essentially. There is all sorts of ritual which is entertaining, nurturing, healing, and brings people together. I just saw a bunch of English children dancing around a Maypole in the countryside, for example, on the Fat Ladies cooking program. To me, that exemplifies practice of an ancient ritual which is unifying and utterly harmless to others. I think it creates an historical sense of rootedness that is very important, something many Americans do not have. Something else along the same line is the search for knowledge that people make when they study philosophy, or go out into the desert and take peyote looking for essential truths. I am not saying anyone should rush out and do this, but it is search for higher-level development. And if you have read anything of Joseph Campbell, or watched his videos, which are often available at public libraries, his discussion of myth is related to what symbols and stories mean on an inner plane--the way religious beliefs are similar and say certain things about mankind.
